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Setting levels

Posted:
Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:32 pm
by Planetguy
https://soundcloud.com/planetguy-1here's a little throwaway jam... i just rediscovered and thought i'd share. for lack of anything better i dubbed it "Level With Me". first tune, top of the page.
so, while trying to get the levels set on my gtr and monty's drums (PJazz drummer) we just started jamming away on this to get everything set. (including ourselves!)
upfront i'm walking "bass" on my thinline tele for awhile.
i'd forgotten all about this little bit. when i just found it just a little while ago, i got out my fretless Pbass and overdubbed another part.
i'm not gonna make excuses for any slop...it's just an off the cuff jam.
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:06 pm
by GuitarMikeB
I had to go back and re-read your post because I heard the bass right away but then thought you had said you were doing the bass part on the Tele!
Do you record on a portable to get levels or was recording incidental?
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:13 pm
by Planetguy
the "bass line" up front is being played on the tele. little melodic comments from the bass...and then finally the bass guitar takes over the bass line.
recorded straight up w mics into pro tools.
bass added later direct.
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:45 pm
by DainNobody
planet, have you upgraded your recording studio?Mike was scolding you once about getting into the 21st century as far as recording gear?..think you mentioned ADAT files and that was from 1999 era, I think, you mention mics into Pro Tools so I guess you purchased a ProTools software, but are you using an interface too? no need to answer if I am getting too nosy..
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 12:10 pm
by GuitarMikeB
stateofmyunion wrote:when you set levels you want to be at unity gain ( +67 DBu or +65 DBv) Don't worry about clipping from your gear at these high levels as it won't. If your amp can't go that high alone set it to mono bridged mode and then plug inputs to both channels to achieve the desired output. When said fire starts let it go this normal and after 3 hours your studio will have burned to the ground and be entirely level. Thus setting the level.
Is this Willie/Kerry again?
Mark was talking about setting levels at a live gig.
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:56 pm
by Planetguy
ok...working backwards (my choice of doing most things)
mike: it's a home recording. not sure where you got that it was on a gig.....maybe because much of what i've shared IS from gig recordings. but now i see why you had asked earlier if i was using a standalone capture device.
willie: that was actually ...well not exactly "funny"...but sort of clever and showed a little bit of creativity. glad to see that you're stepping up from the low brow stuff. points.
dayne: yeah...i still use my adat, but i've had a nice little pro tools setup at my place that i've been babysitting for a few mos now. funny, we moved to a new place back in july and i'm still setting up my music room (i prefer calling it that over "studio")....yesterday i pulled out my old TEAC 3440 1/4" reel to reel cos i want to go thru some older stuff to see if there's any older tunes i want to revisit..and possibly dress up in some new clothes.
jook: PLEASE feel free to have some fun with the tune! same goes for anyone else who might feel so inclined. mike...i don't know that it lends itseld towards it, but if you want to write some lyrics or rap something over the top.....you go! dayne, scmed, et al.....feel free as well. and of course it'd be a thrill and a treat to hear what vinny might come up w.
i still remain fascinated and curious on the subject of how musicians hear, relate, and create differently from one another. i think it most interesting hearing/seeing what people can come up with when they take the same blueprint, and left to their own devices...run w it.
besides trying to encourage some musical rubbing of BM shoulders...that was what prompted the
"Who's up for a project?" Em BbM7 bit of business. to hear how people might take the same bldg blocks and build their own little place.
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:10 pm
by Planetguy
and anyone who's interested....you can basically hang any D7....Dm7.....Dm7b5.....D blues scale.....etc "comments" over the tune.
but for extra credit and to really lay it in the slot.... D whole tone is what's going on there.
it's a "symmetrical scale"....you can start it on any scale degree and it has the same "shape".....literally as in a geometrical shape, but also in that the intervals remain the same between each step. that's right, marsha...a whole step between each!
if ya haven't had much exp w it...it's a six note scale that actually lays out very nicely on fretted instruments. pretty nicely on keyboard instr too.
D E F# G# Bb C
so once you get that wired...you've also 'mastered' E whole tone....F# whole tone....G# whole tone....etc
there are only two whole tone scales...those found within the above framework and those found in the set found 1/2 step higher!!!
Eb F G A B Db
from one thing...MANY THINGS!!!!! endless clean fun for everybody!
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 4:28 pm
by schmedidiah
Love me some whole tone scales!

Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 7:47 pm
by GuitarMikeB
Planetguy wrote:ok...working backwards (my choice of doing most things)
mike: it's a home recording. not sure where you got that it was on a gig.....maybe because much of what i've shared IS from gig recordings. but now i see why you had asked earlier if i was using a standalone capture device.
"Setting levels for drums and guitar" - I just assumed this was for a gig. I never worry about levels too much when recording: green light from interface, yeah getting signal, no red light from clipping. Arm track, how far is the meter going up - staying green, just occasional yellow, no red? I try to track in the -18 to -12dBfs range, so it's good to go!
Re: Setting levels

Posted:
Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:53 pm
by DainNobody
Planetguy wrote:and anyone who's interested....you can basically hang any D7....Dm7.....Dm7b5.....D blues scale.....etc "comments" over the tune.
but for extra credit and to really lay it in the slot.... D whole tone is what's going on there.
it's a "symmetrical scale"....you can start it on any scale degree and it has the same "shape".....literally as in a geometrical shape, but also in that the intervals remain the same between each step. that's right, marsha...a whole step between each!
if ya haven't had much exp w it...it's a six note scale that actually lays out very nicely on fretted instruments. pretty nicely on keyboard instr too.
D E F# G# Bb C
so once you get that wired...you've also 'mastered' E whole tone....F# whole tone....G# whole tone....etc
there are only two whole tone scales...those found within the above framework and those found in the set found 1/2 step higher!!!
Eb F G A B Db
from one thing...MANY THINGS!!!!! endless clean fun for everybody!
Walking bass is popular in many genres, as it’s very flexible stylistically. A “walking” line needs to move, rhythmically and harmonically, so you won’t hear steady bass pedal tones, but that doesn’t rule out much. That means that the bassline can easily reflect the usual stylistic tropes of each genre. Blues and jazz share some stylistic elements, like groove, improvisation, and comping, but they often differ in degree or approach.